Tribunal have been pretty smart with Warner - find him guilty but put him on 3 points, 1 away from a ban - the points stay with him for 24 months - so he'll have to rein in his behaviour for a long time.

And you can be sure that his opponents will make hay while he's got his hands tied - there'll be plenty of baiting going on, trying to get another little meltdown out of him. No doubt the SA crowds might have a word or two for him as well.

De Kock has gone down the Not Guilty route - expect plenty of Aussie outrage if he's successful.

I don't think South African crowds are quite as aggressive as Australian crowds are.

And I don't think the Saffer players are quite as effective verbally, either, so I suspect the ICC action does little more than let Warner off the hook. All he needs to do is make sure that any verbals are out of range of the stump mikes for a year or two and he'll be all right. I doubt either of these umpires will take any action that might result in a ban for him.

What crowds?

Good point.

However, Newlands, Wanderers and St Georges will be far better supported.

Tribunal have been pretty smart with Warner - find him guilty but put him on 3 points, 1 away from a ban - the points stay with him for 24 months - so he'll have to rein in his behaviour for a long time.

And you can be sure that his opponents will make hay while he's got his hands tied - there'll be plenty of baiting going on, trying to get another little meltdown out of him. No doubt the SA crowds might have a word or two for him as well.

De Kock has gone down the Not Guilty route - expect plenty of Aussie outrage if he's successful.

I don't think South African crowds are quite as aggressive as Australian crowds are.

And I don't think the Saffer players are quite as effective verbally, either, so I suspect the ICC action does little more than let Warner off the hook. All he needs to do is make sure that any verbals are out of range of the stump mikes for a year or two and he'll be all right. I doubt either of these umpires will take any action that might result in a ban for him.

Very hard to sledge the batsman out of range of the stump mikes.

And, it doesn't seem to require much to wind him up.

I see South Africa have three players facing bans: Rabada, du Plessis and de Kock, while Australia only have Warner, so your suggestion that the ICC have allowed open season on Warner doesn't really scan.

I'm a little surprised that Ian Chappel has waded in as he hasn't shown any inclination to be over fond of South Africans in the past.

Puts the lie to Smith's utterings on the subject - he needs to get control of his players.

I think he's quite happy.

I don't think he believes that his players were quite as saintly as he suggested they were, but as long as it puts the South Africans off balance and concentrating on the wrong things, then I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind.

“I think you guys are well aware that I cop it left, right and centre, especially off the field from spectators. I am used to that and it doesn’t bother me," Warner said.

"But in the proximity of my personal space and behind me, a comment that was vile and disgusting and about my wife and just in general about a lady, was quite poor I felt. My emotional response, you saw, was just (to) something that I don’t believe should have been said. And as I said, I will always stick up for my family. And in that case, my teammates as well.

"I’ve always felt that when it comes to family or racism comments or anything like that, that’s just a no-go zone. I’ve been called everything under the sun out the field and that, quite frankly, doesn’t bother me"

“I think you guys are well aware that I cop it left, right and centre, especially off the field from spectators. I am used to that and it doesn’t bother me," Warner said.

"But in the proximity of my personal space and behind me, a comment that was vile and disgusting and about my wife and just in general about a lady, was quite poor I felt. My emotional response, you saw, was just (to) something that I don’t believe should have been said. And as I said, I will always stick up for my family. And in that case, my teammates as well.

"I’ve always felt that when it comes to family or racism comments or anything like that, that’s just a no-go zone. I’ve been called everything under the sun out the field and that, quite frankly, doesn’t bother me"

Oh, he's definitely got the moral high ground here

I read that article... I reckon he, and the team, could do with getting over themselves. It all comes across as needy. They're good players, who needs the sledging? It's just a shitty, childish carry on.

So demanding that Rohit Sharma speak English wasn't in the least bit racist? Okaay...

He wanted to say "You keep talking back at me aggressively in a language I don't understand and I think we should have a discussion about it in a langue that I, and my team mates, can understand" but his lizard brain intervened.

That's how you roll. Niggle is a consistent feature with the Wallabies too. Aussie battleeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrssssssss

Yeah, nah. It actually isn't. It's something kiwis have told themselves so often that they actually believe it. Kinda like the kiwis who actually think the Aussies sledged several retiring Black Caps players during the Cricket World Cup final.

A small handful of players have done it a few games and it doesn't work.

Niggle: See Dane Coles, who tried to fight pretty much everyone in the last match against the Wallabies.

Tribunal have been pretty smart with Warner - find him guilty but put him on 3 points, 1 away from a ban - the points stay with him for 24 months - so he'll have to rein in his behaviour for a long time.

And you can be sure that his opponents will make hay while he's got his hands tied - there'll be plenty of baiting going on, trying to get another little meltdown out of him. No doubt the SA crowds might have a word or two for him as well.

He should be targetting the 4th test here to get the Zimbabwe test off and clear the decks for filling his boots for the Bangladesh tests at home in July